As we all know, 2020 was the start of a global pandemic. Everything was shut down, including sports. A few months down the line, the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver restarted the NBA season in an interesting way: by flying 22 teams down to Orlando and playing in Disney in what would be called “a bubble.” In my opinion, it was the realest form of NBA basketball and I can briefly explain why with three reasons. 

No fans  

The biggest part of the bubble is the fact that fans were not allowed inside. With fans not being there to get in a players head or give the home team an advantage with the noise, it made every game very even. A lot of players thrive off of the energy and it helps bring their game to another level.   

ONLY basketball  

By being in a bubble, there is very little you’re able to do. Players had the ability to solely focus on basketball and it helped them take their game up a notch. A prime example of this is TJ Warren of the Indiana Pacers. He was dropping 50 points in games and made it look easy.   

No family  

Being in a bubble means you can’t go anywhere and nobody can come in. That unfortunately meant family members could not join the players. Not being able to see your family sucks, but them not being there eliminates another outside aspect almost entirely.   

I could go on forever about why the bubble needs to be respected more, but this is a good starting point. Everybody likes to joke and call it a “Mickey Mouse” championship for the Lakers, but hopefully after reading this, you’re able to gain a little bit of an appreciation for what the players went through during the bubble.   

📸 creds: CBS Sports & CNN

Kylee Sullenberger - Beer Battered Sports/ Olde City Sports Network